Why Rye? This assertively flavorful grain is more often associated with whiskey than with ales. Even in that arena, it has largely been eclipsed by corn and barley, the sources of bourbon and scotch. But when we procured some seasoned barrels from our friends at Templeton Rye, we asked ourselves, “Why not?” Why not brew a rich, tawny rye ale, then mellow it in the warmth of charred oak rye whiskey casks? Two kinds of malted rye provide spicy sweetness, giving way to notes of caramelized wood and the citrusy tang of Perle, Magnum, and Saphir hops before easing into a dry, lingering finish.

Happy to see this beer show up around here. Batch 2012-1, bottle 13195.

Pours into a tulip a murky reddish brown. Beige head sticks around pretty decently as a cap, some lace.

Lots of sweet fruity malts, caramel, spice, bourbon is mellow at first but grows with warmth.

Lots of dark fruit, spicy rye malt, caramel, bourbon+oak are somewhat mellow but definitely grow with warmth like the scent. Has a slight tart twang to it, reminds me of their BBQ a bit, I wonder if they used the same barrels. Light hoppage and vanilla show through.

Smooth. Full-bodied, carbonation at a good level, grows to be quite warming and boozy but not really a deterrent.

I like the flavorful and mellow bourbon but the base beer doesn't seem to bring much to the table. Still it definitely pulls of a nice unique combo of a rye beer/rye whiskey, it's enjoyable.

One of the best rye beers I've encountered in a while. Good balance between the grains, hops not overly assertive in the aroma but coming through well in the bittering department. An excellent rye quaff!

A: 2 finger khaki colored head with good retention forms atop a deep rusty brown bodied brew. Mostly cloudy, but was still able to see bubbles rising.

S: Caramel and bourbon characteristics are most prominent. Hints of spicy notes from the rye begin to poke through, but never become overbearing as dark fruits bring up the rear.

T: Very interesting beer we have here. Great to get a whiskey aged brew that isn't a stout or a barleywine. Spicy rye notes rush out of the gates, but are soon mellowed by the rye whiskey, vanilla, and dark fruit flavors.

M: Medium bodied, creamy front with a sharp carbonated backend.

O: I found this beer not only to be great, but also brave. I hope other breweries begin aging non-traditional beers like this one.

This beer pours a medium bodied cherry wood brown with a one finger soapy and creamy two finger head. Te nose features smooth and spicy rice with a touch of rye whiskey. I expected it to be a little more pronounced. You could say that the aromas are holding back a bit. The flavors are nice and malty. There is plenty of spicy rye with a nice about of rye whiskey, some caramel, and some toffee with a slightly soapy finish. The flavors are nice. I like how the rye base works with the whiskey. They complement each other well. If anything there could be more whiskey presence. Luckily it builds as it warms but even then there could be more. It drinks medium in body and not necessarily over carbonated but it instantly stimulates your entire palate in an effervescent type of manner. Overall this is a nice beer. I definitely prefer it to their bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. This is yet another high quality beer from the Smokestack series.

Beer number 4 of the Astros #brewandbaseball challenge! I'm behind but doing my best to catch up. Poured from bottle into CBS Snifter. Pours a nearly transparent dark amber color, some decent head retention, which is surprising given the ABV and Barrel aging. A creamy looking texture to this beer. Smell- booze, molasses, some spicy bready notes from the rye. Woody barrel notes, some vanilla. Alcohol is obvious. This will be a really boozy bastard. Taste- the booze is puckering. its pretty much all I am getting at the front of the tongue, resembles straight rye whiskey. Some nice woody notes and vanilla linger around the sides of my mouth, but I struggle to get a lot of depth and complexity to this one. After the booze, it seems that the flavors are a little muddled. Nothing stands out, but this is a beer that will have to develop in order to be worthy. I'll review again after a year and see what comes of it, but would not recommend to drink it fresh. Not a great experience, not a horrible one.

A - Dark orange and amber color with a half inch of head. Translucent, almost ruby-like appearance.

S - Rye whiskey aroma is dominant, as it should be and it is complemented by a very slight burn from the alcohol. Some sweeter fruits come through here as well such as raisin and fig.

T - Delivered as promised, strong rye whiskey character with a strong rye bread (caraway seed) backbone. Slight alcohol burn, by nothing deterring. I expected to be overwhelmed by too much of a rye flavor, but this isn't the case; the two rye types go well together. No hop character, but a sweet malt profile to hold everything in place.

Poured into a 13 oz tulip. Pours a reddish brown with a creamy off white head, very little lacing. Smell is vanilla, Oak, Bourbon, carmel, and leather. Taste is all of those things, vanilla and bourbon dominate, pretty mild considering what it is. Body is a little thin, plenty of carbonation, not overly dry, and very easy drinking. This solid not really familiar with the style.

Had this in a snifter at Beer Kitchen. Not very much head. A thick dark brown looking brew. Smell is sweet, malty, and rye. Upfront the taste is strong rye. Extremely bready, thick, syrupy, not much carbonation. The taste is also sweet cherries and caramel malts. The 11 percent alcohol is well hidden. If you like big semi-sweet beers and rye bread on your sandwiches you'll like it.